Dokken and Queensryche in Anaheim

Last night I saw Don Dokken and Queensryche perform at the House Of Blues in Anaheim. I had planned to see their show at the HOB in LA Friday night but I ended up working late and would have missed the Dokken set. On Sunday I decided that since the weather wasn't too bad I would be willing to make the drive. After some ticketmaster hassles I was able to reserve a ticket in will call.

I arrived at the venue a little early thinking the show started at 8pm. I didn't realize that it was doors at 8pm. After a couple of hours of standing in the cold they opened the doors about 8:40. Once inside I was on the 2nd level and ended up asking security about how do I get downstairs. This was my first time at this HOB. Compared to the HOB in Hollywood the venue is much smaller. Maybe 1/2 to 2/3rds the size. And this venue allowed cameras, unlike the Hollywood HOB which are known for being Nazi like in not allowing cameras. Once inside I finally made my way downstairs.

At this point they were holding the sing with Queensryche contest and had 3 contestants sing up on stage. After each singer the band voted by applause. All three singers sang Neon Nights and were all named Tony or Anthony. The winner was the clear choice and ended up holding his own with Geoff Tate on the 'Ryche encore.

Minutes after the contest Don Dokken and Kelly Kelling came out and played a short hits set of Dokken on acoustic guitar. I found myself singing nearly every word of their set. It was nice to see Don playing guitar and even taking a couple of the solos during the set.

After the show I picked up Don's newest cd Solitary and was able to get an autograph and a picture with Don. I told him how impressed I was with Dokken's Rocklahoma set this past summer and he said that was a great show for them. Everything came together and he said backstage all the bands were saying how they blew away many of the headliners. He said it was a great night and great event. He said they weren't invited back for this year but mentioned that he thought Alice In Chains might be on the bill this year. Considering Jerry Cantrell jammed with Queensryche in LA this rumor might be rooted in some truth. I must say Don took as much time with each fan, was talkative and genuinely seemed pleased to meet everyone. Its nice to see how night after night he is still out there meeting fans and having a great time doing so.

Don Dokken / Kelly Kelling
February 24, 2008
House Of Blues
Anaheim California

Into The Fire
Breaking The Chains (Don Dokken took guitar solo)
Just Got Lucky
It's Not Love
(Unskinny Bop tease)
Dream Warriors
Alone Again (Don Dokken took guitar solo)
In My Dreams

Now back to the 'Ryche. After a short intermission Queensryche came out hitting hard with Burning Man and running through a very creative set list. Seeing the band enjoying themselves and rocking out was much improved after the disappointment of the Mindcrime 2 tour. Acting out a concert like a play/musical is not my idea of a good time.

Geoff's voice was in top shape and he was nailing the high notes on the material. This HOB had a great sound system and you could hear every instrument clearly. The drums sounded crystal clear in the mix and I found myself watching Scott a good portion of the night. It was as if he had a perfectly tuned drum set, and with my recent purchase of splashes and a china I was loving what Scott was playing.

About 5-6 songs into the set I came to the realization that this might be the best Queensryche performance I've seen them give. And to think I picked up my ticket the day of the show. Highlights of their set were the opening of Burning Man, NM 156, and Screaming In Digital. Screaming had this great effect on Geoff's voice giving it a deep, and cleanly distorted yet digital sound. Much better than on the album. Other highlights were Gonna Get Close To You and Last Time In Paris.

I would say if you have a chance to see this tour then by all means do so, however I think they only have 3 or 4 shows left. Next time they play 3 nights in the LA area I won't wait until the last minute.

Queensryche
February 24, 2008
House Of Blues
Anaheim, California

Burning Man
NM 156
Screaming In Digital
Welcome To The Machine (Pink Floyd w/ Geoff on Sax)
I'm American
The Hands
Bridge
Killing Words
Another Rainy Night
Gonna Get Close To You
Best I Can
(Geoff talks about how he took his kids to Disneyland that day. He has them wave from the balcony)
Last Time In Paris
Breaking The Silence
Anybody Listening?
Jet City Woman
Eyes Of A Stranger

Encore
Neon Nights w/ contest winner
Someone Else (Mike Stone on electric piano)
The Lady Wore Black
Empire

Jack's Mannequin in Anaheim

Jacki and I went to see Jack's Mannequin at the Grove Of Anaheim Thursday night. Turkish Rocket opened. Their drummer was a little spastic, and the music, well, let's not talk about their music. We were definitely glad once Jack's Mannequin came on stage.

It doesn't happen often at concerts but I definitely felt old tonight. I think 95% of the people there were still in high school. Jacki and I kind of stuck out like the other handful of older people. You could probably count all of the people over 30 on two hands.

The band sounded great. I had some concerns since the sound at the Dream Theater show in the same venue was so poor a couple of months back. Having appropriately amplified levels for the type of music being performed makes a big difference.


Highlights of course were Bruised, Dark Blue, The Mixed Tape, Into the Airwaves and the closing the main set with You Can Breathe. They pretty much played all of the album Everything In Transit. One track I didn't know and then a couple of covers at the end. They closed the show with a rockin' version of Police's Message in a Bottle. Its good to know the kids like the Police.

The double take of the night occured when I noticed their drummer had the same make and color drum set as me. Oil Satin Blue finish on DW drums, he used a different snare but the bass drum and the toms were the same color as mine. First time I had seen the finish on drums other than the ones I actually own.

The final observation of the night was this band was about as plain looking as they come. Not guys you'd run into on the street and think hey, they're in a rock band. I guess the kids don't need long hair and spandex these days. HA!

Dream Theater Show #1

With the continued spirit of multiple Dream Theater show experiences Terry flew to Los Angeles last night for a weekend of DT. We actually had not planned to go to the Thursday night show in Anaheim, but with some hopeful thinking and a little luck we were able to catch the show last night.

Terry landed at LAX at 7:10, got out to curbside pickup about 7:20, of course it took me an hour to drive the 6 miles to the airport. We made a judgement call and decided what the hell, the venue is only 40 miles away and the show starts at 8. Why not?

45 minutes of 80 mph and we get to the venue shortly after 8. Score the sweet seats, the last two seats on the very last row :-), (I think we made it a sell out) and get to our seats about 20 seconds before the band hit the stage. Perfect timing.



Setlist:
Set 1
The Root of All Evil
Never Enough
Another Won (Majesty)
Afterlife
Under a Glass Moon
Innocence Faded (1st time played in 10 years)
Just Let Me Breathe
Home

Set 2
The Glass Prison
This Dying Soul
The Answer Lies Within
Sacrificed Sons
Octavarium

Encore
In the Name of God

Nice, clean venue. Horrible sound. Surprisingly interesting set list, but a very long show that lost both Terry and I about 2 hours in. Show clocked in right at 3 hours with a 15 minute intermission.

Tonight we will see them at the Pantages in LA on the 7th row center so it should be a completely different experience.